Definitions for cotyledonˌkɒt lˈid n

Here are all the possible meanings and translations of the word cotyledon.

Princeton's WordNet(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

cotyledon, seed leaf(noun)

embryonic leaf in seed-bearing plants

Wiktionary(5.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

cotyledon(Noun)

The leaf of the embryo of a seed-bearing plant; after germination it becomes the first leaves of the seedling.

Webster Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

Cotyledon(noun)

one of the patches of villi found in some forms of placenta

Cotyledon(noun)

a leaf borne by the caulicle or radicle of an embryo; a seed leaf

Origin: [Gr. a cupshaped hollow, fr. . See Cotyle.]

Freebase(5.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

Cotyledon

A cotyledon is a significant part of the embryo within the seed of a plant. Upon germination, the cotyledon may become the embryonic first leaves of a seedling. The number of cotyledons present is one characteristic used by botanists to classify the flowering plants. Species with one cotyledon are called monocotyledonous. Plants with two embryonic leaves are termed dicotyledonous and placed in the class Magnoliopsida.
In the case of dicot seedlings whose cotyledons are photosynthetic, the cotyledons are functionally similar to leaves. However, true leaves and cotyledons are developmentally distinct. Cotyledons are formed during embryogenesis, along with the root and shoot meristems, and are therefore present in the seed prior to germination. True leaves, however, are formed post-embryonically from the shoot apical meristem, which is responsible for generating subsequent aerial portions of the plant.
The cotyledon of grasses and many other monocotyledons is a highly modified leaf composed of a scutellum and a coleoptile. The scutellum is a tissue within the seed that is specialized to absorb stored food from the adjacent endosperm. The coleoptile is a protective cap that covers the plumule.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

Cotyledon

kot-i-lē′don, n. (bot.) the term applied to the seed-leaves of the embryo: the seed-leaf.—adjs.Cotylē′donary; Cotylē′donous, pertaining to or having cotyledons or seed-lobes; Cot′yloid, cup-shaped. [L.,—Gr. kotylēdōn—kotylē, a cup.]

U.S. National Library of Medicine(5.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

Cotyledon

A part of the embryo in a seed plant. The number of cotyledons is an important feature in classifying plants. In seeds without an endosperm, they store food which is used in germination. In some plants, they emerge above the soil surface and become the first photosynthetic leaves. (From Concise Dictionary of Biology, 1990)